HOGAN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER: Gov. Larry Hogan, 59, said his cancer was diagnosed in a late stage after he felt a lump in his neck while shaving, a typical scenario for those with the disease. After testing, 20 to 30 more masses were discovered in his neck, chest, abdomen, groin area and near his spinal column, reports Meredith Cohn, Scott Dance and Andrea McDaniels in the Sun.
- Ovetta Wiggins and Jenna Johnson of the Post quote Hogan as saying, “I’m going to face this challenge with the same energy and determination that I’ve relied on to climb every hill and to overcome every obstacle that I’ve faced in my life.” The article is topped by a video of Hogan’s announcement.
- Brandi Bottalico, Chase Cook and Cindy Huang of the Annapolis Capital report that the governor entered the room to applause. As the noise died down, he was frank about the situation: The cancer has spread throughout his body, it will require 18 weeks of “aggressive” chemotherapy that will sometimes take him from his duties. “Most likely I’m going to lose my hair,” he joked. “You won’t have these beautiful gray locks anymore.”
- Bryan Sears of the Daily Record reports that Hogan said that, “The best news is my odds of getting through this and beating this are much, much better than the odds I had of beating Anthony Brown to become the 62nd governor of Maryland.”
- According to an unattributed story in the Hagerstown Herald Mail, Hogan said his doctors have told him he has a good chance of beating the disease. Dr. Richard Fisher, a lymphoma specialist and president of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, said Hogan’s cancer is the most common form of lymphoma, and that most cases are diagnosed in later stages, as Hogan’s was. Treatment involves intravenous combination chemotherapy plus the immune therapy drug Rituxan, usually six cycles, every three weeks, as an outpatient.
- Here’s WBAL-TV’s video report of Hogan’s moving speech.
- Here’s Jeff Clabaugh and Rick Seltzer article for the Baltimore Business Journal.
- And here’s Andrew Metcalf’s piece in Bethesda Magazine.
- The Sun reprints the text of Hogan’s announcement.
- Here’s the full 18-minute video.
- Stephen Babcock and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times write that Hogan is a “little-known former real estate executive whose upset victory in November thrust this overwhelmingly Democratic state into Republican hands for the first time in nearly a decade.” He announced Monday that he had a “very advanced” cancer of the lymphatic system but would continue to serve while undergoing treatment.
REACTION: Zach Kram of the Daily Record gathers reaction to Hogan’s news, from both sides of the political spectrum and across several media platforms.
- Here’s more reaction compiled by Perry Stein of the Post.
ON THIS CANCER: Brandi Bottalico and Theresa Winslow of the Annapolis Capital speak to experts who explain what non-Hodgkins lymphoma is.
- Here’s an explainer reported by Daniel Leaderman of the Daily Record.
- Kelly Seegers of the Bethesda Magazine interviews Dr. Mark Roschewski, a staff clinician at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research, who says the cancer is “a two-edged sword.” While fast-growing lymphoma requires the patient to drop everything and be treated quickly, the treatment is effective, according to Roschewski. “Aggressive things tend to be more sensitive to treatment. The majority of patients who get the treatment will be cured.”
RUTHERFORD IN SPOTLIGHT: John Fritze of the Sun writes that Boyd Rutherford was shocked when he got a call more than a year ago from a little-known Republican businessman who was mounting an improbable campaign for governor. The man on the other end of the line, Larry Hogan, wanted to know whether Rutherford would be his running mate in a statewide campaign almost no one thought was winnable. Once again, the 58-year-old Rutherford will be thrust into the spotlight unexpectedly, as Hogan undergoes weeks of treatment, including chemotherapy, and recovery.
- In his news conference announcing the diagnosis, Hogan referred to Rutherford as a “good friend and a wise and steady partner in government.” Adam Bednar of the Daily Record reports that under the state constitution the lieutenant governor can take over for the governor temporarily if he is notified in writing that the governor is unable to perform his duties. It also allows for the lieutenant governor to take over if the governor becomes disabled or unable to communicate his inability to perform his duties.
- The editorial board of the Sun writes “We wish Gov. Larry Hogan a speedy recovery from the lymphoma with which he was recently diagnosed. … The news also comes as a shock to Marylanders who were just growing accustomed to his leadership … we offer the reassurance that Mr. Hogan selected his running mate, Lt. Gov. Boyd G. Rutherford, based on competence and not political expediency. Should Mr. Hogan be forced to take a leave of absence, the state will remain in good hands.”
JAIL POLICY PANEL MEETS: A panel tasked with finding ways to reduce incarceration and recidivism began its work Monday by hearing how other states have changed sentencing policies to help control correction costs, Ovetta Wiggins reports in the Post.
MTA FARES: Kelsi Loos of the Frederick News Post writes that Maryland Transit Administration fares will increase Thursday, but MARC commuters could get a deal on a new five-day-a-week pass.MARC one-way trips will increase $1, and commuter bus fares will increase as little as 25 cents and as much as $1.25, depending on the length of the trip.
CONFEDERATE SYMBOLS: Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called for Maryland to stop issuing specialty license plates with the Confederate flag, and Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz has moved to rename the popular Robert E. Lee Park, Yvonne Wenger and Mayah Collins report in the Sun.
- In an op-ed in the Sun, law professor Steven Grossman writes that it is long past the time for Maryland as well as the other states to ban the use of the Confederate flag on the license plates they issue. Most will agree that slavery was the greatest abomination ever perpetrated in the United States. No one can argue that the secessionist states were, among other things, the defenders of this abominable institution. For a state to endorse a symbol of the defenders of slavery by putting the Confederate flag on representations of government speech is unconscionable.
AND THEN THERE’S THAT SONG: Former Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has sought to draw attention to his presidential bid by urging South Carolina to retire the Confederate battle flag, presided over a state for eight years whose official song expresses Confederate sympathies, John Wagner of the Post reports.
IVEY PICKS UP LABOR ENDORSEMENT: Former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey on Monday secured the first labor endorsement in the race for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, winning the support of a local electrical engineers union based in Lanham, John Fritze reports in the Sun.
MATTHEWS ON MSNBC COVERAGE OF MATTHEWS: Back in March, Lloyd Grove of the Daily Beast wrote that MSNBC host Chris Matthews said he had the strongest belief in wife Kathleen’s judgment and values, and if she runs for office her campaign will be covered fairly by the network. Six years ago, Chris Matthews briefly flirted with running for public office—a Senate seat from his native Pennsylvania—and then quickly dropped the idea. But now it looks like his wife, Kathleen, might actually take the plunge.
VAN HOLLEN SUPPORT WIDENS: Another top Democrat has endorsed Rep. Chris Van Hollen in Maryland’s U.S. Senate primary, a signal that his support within the party’s establishment may trump Rep. Donna Edwards’ appeal in her home county and perhaps among some female and black voters. State Sen. Joanne C. Benson on Monday introduced Van Hollen, who is white, to a group of 150 mostly African American retirees whose support she counts on in her own campaigns, reports Arelis Hernandez and Rachel Weiner for the Post.
SCHUH SURGERY: Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh will be out of the office Wednesday for rotator cuff surgery, Cindy Huang reports for the Annapolis Capital. He will be conducting county business by phone and email, according to spokesman Owen McEvoy. “I can’t raise my arm very well,” Schuh said.
Recent Comments